Little Bern, a young farm boy, is taken in by his aunt and uncle after his parents pass away. Feeling ignored by his busy adoptive parents and their large brood of children, and struggling to keep up with a pile of chores and a new school, Little Bern pines for the life he used to have.
One day, on his way to school, he sees a mysterious ramshackle house, and is told it is the home of Old Nettie, who everyone in the town fears and calls a witch. But when a huge snowstorm hits, and Little Bern is lost, he is saved by none other than Old Nettie. Terrified at first, Bern must face his fears and confront the person he is most afraid of. And much to his surprise, discovers she is not at all the person he thought her to be! And as it turns out… much more like him than he ever imagined.
Based on stories from the Mennonite Ukraine of the 1920’s, Bello is set in a fable-like world, performed with rhythm and rhyme where hard times and struggle are part of daily life, but where the healing powers of humour, love and family ultimately flourish. A beautiful, poetic and charming parable of overcoming our fears of others who are not like us.
First produced by Concrete Theatre, Edmonton AB, 2017.
Also produced by Young People's Theatre, Toronto ON, and translated into French and German.
Genre: TYA, Theatre for Young Audiences
Acts: 1
Run time: 45 minutes
Cast size: 3 actors